Addict
by castletongreen
Summary: In Underfell, it's kill or be killed. With only 1 HP, Sans takes special measures to ensure his survival.
1. Promise

He sleeps most hours of the day now. His brother forces him awake every morning and walks with him, on bad days half-dragging him, to his sentry station. When Papyrus is gone, he falls asleep. At the end of the day, he gets something to eat at Grillby's. He's the bartender's favorite customer. He never causes any trouble, just orders a greasy burger slathered in mustard, gets drunk, and falls asleep at the bar. Sometimes Papyrus shows up to loudly berate him in front of the the entire establishment. Sometimes he doesn't. Grillby wakes him up at closing time, and he takes a shortcut home (one of the few things he can still manage), where he sleeps the rest of the night.

It's been so long.

Sometimes, the world resets. He knows this. He used to pay attention to it, in previous timelines that he can't quite remember. He used to try to find the anomaly and destroy it, or at least study it. Time travel of this sort was almost always linked to Determination, and if he could get his hands on what was causing it, then...but he'd failed. At least, that was what the reports seemed to indicate. They had gotten less detailed, more incoherent as reletive "time" went on, and he knew he wasn't the first iteration of himself that had given up. From the reports, he knew three things:

1: The world resets without warning, and he will have no memory of it when it does, save for a nagging feeling of deja vu. He's not the only one who gets this feeling, but no one ever thinks twice on it.

2: The anomaly is linked to a sentient being, though the reports seem torn as to whether they have any control over it or if they, too, are just another victim being dragged along in endless torment by some unseen force.

3: If he knows a reset is about to happen, he can make preparations. He's left himself cryptic notes, mysterious photos, and crude drawings depicting the terrible things that have happened in timelines that have been destroyed. They show up in his workshop without him asking them to. He doesn't go to his workshop anymore. He doesn't care about what he might find.

He sits at his sentry station, drifting off, and tries to make a list of what he still cares about. My own life, he thinks, and then stops. I think I would let myself die if I could, he muses. If I knew I wouldn't wake up yesterday morning with an eerie, dream-like memory of being dead. He doesn't think he would stop his brother from being hurt or killed, either. That wasn't always the case. When they were young, Sans would have thrown himself in the line of fire for his brother in a heartbeat. But it doesn't matter now. He thinks, perhaps if he could find a way to end the anomaly for good. Perhaps if he could get his hands on some Determination, he could-but they ran out of the stuff several resets ago. Appearantly the substance doesn't follow the same rules as everything else. It held the key to understanding, and therefore ending, the anomaly, and if he could just get his hands on it...study its effects...and maybe...use some...maybe it would help him feel a little better.

It's been so long. He sleeps most hours of the day now.

When he can't sleep, he watches the stars. Now that his brother is a high ranking member of the Royal Guard, Sans can pretty much go anywhere he wants without worrying. Once in a while someone will spit in his face or tell him that he's garbage or riding on his brother's coattails, or, every so often, accuse him of being a traitor. But no one has tried to fight him in a long time, for fear of invoking the wrath of The Great Papyrus. So, with nothing to fear, he watches the stars, which are really only glowing crystals that adorn the ceiling of the Waterfall Caverns. They never move. They never change. It's cold.

He perches down near and echo flower and whispers to it. "I wish a human would fall down here," he says. Everyone has to wish for something, he guesses. It's part of being alive. "I wish a human would fall down here," the echo flower whispers back. It's the last wish he has left. It's been so long.

The days drag on.

And on.

He sits against the door, listening. He's not listening for her, he tells himself. He's just sitting against the door, watching for the human that will never come. He's not straining hard to hear her footsteps on the other side. He doesn't gasp in excitement like a fucking child when he hears them.

"Knock knock." He rolls right in as soon as he thinks she's in earshot.

"Who's there?"

"You want 2 C.D.'s?" He thinks he'll try something different this time.

"You want 2 C.D's who?"

"You want 2 C Deez Nutz?" He cackles. From her snort, he can tell it caught her off guard.

"Knock knock," she replies.

"Who's there?"

"Pussy."

"Pussy who?"

"...You don't get it."

This time he's taken off guard. "But you didn't finish?"

"Oh, I'm finished."

It takes him a minute. Then, he howls in genuine laughter. Oh right, he thinks. This is why I keep knocking.

"Heheh, alright, I get the picture," he says. "I got a better one, anyway. What's the difference between an onion and a baby?"

"What?"

"I don't cry when I'm cutting up a baby."

She gives a quiet giggle, then lapses into silence. That's odd, he thinks. Dead baby jokes are her favorite.

"Somethin' wrong, sweetheart?"

She doesn't answer.

"C'mon, toots, what's botherin' ya?"

"You and I are...friends, are we not?"

It isn't a question he's expecting. Warm magic energy rushes to his face and he's glad she can't see him. He's never thought about it before. He recovers, and responds with a sharp laugh, "Ha! that's the kind of question someone asks when they want a something from you."

"...I would not ask if it were not important."

Anything for you, he wants to say. Anything for the first person to make him genuinley laugh in what seems like eons. Anything for the first person to call him friend, even if she is just taking advantage of his insecurities. "...what?" he says.

"...I know it's an...odd request, especially considering your position as a sentry, but...if a human ever comes through this door...will you...watch over them? Protect them?"

He laughs. He can't stop laughing. Even after it's obvious she's not joking. " _hahahahaha_ -is there a human in there? An actual living human? Oh my _god._ "

She stays silent until his laughter dies down. When she speaks, her voice is stern. "I know full well what I am asking you to do, but I have no other choice. I know they want to leave...but I will not allow it unless I know they are protected. Please." Her voice sounds strange. It takes him a moment to realize she's crying. "If I knew they would be safe," she chokes, "I would not have to...please. you must do this for me. You are the last hope I have."

He grins mirthlessly at the snow clouds above him. It's been a long time since he's heard someone cry-at least, someone who's not in immense physical pain. This lady is so pure, he thinks. That, or she's gone completely insane from living alone in the ruins for god knows how long. He guesses she was probably a mother at some point, but it's not his place to ask questions like that. "What'll you do for me?" he asks.

"I...I suppose I will owe you."

"Will you open this door? Will you let me see you?"

He can hear her sigh in relief. "Of course. Honestly, I was expecting something far less...simple."

"Hey, I'm a simple guy." He can't stop another short burst of laughter. "Heh, yeah. I'll keep the little fucker safe. Promise. I always keep my promises, y'know."

"...You would not lie to me, would you? We are friends, are we not?"

"'Course, sweetheart. Best friends."

She doesn't respond. He hears her footsteps grow quieter. He hopes she bought it.


	2. Anomaly

_**ENTRY 01**_

 _The king was more impressed with Mettaton than I thought he would be. He's hired me as his Royal Scientist, and asked me to find a way to break the barrier without relying on human SOULS. It's true, the robot runs on SOUL power, but I doubt I'll be able to use the same methods for this. I'm not even sure where to start. I'm going to need to do extensive research on monster SOULS. I may need to use live subjects. This could get messy._

 _I may have already made an ally, though whether or not he's trustworthy remains to be seen. I'd barely set things up in my new lab when I heard a horrible noise from one of the smaller workrooms. I ran in to see what it was-I never could have expected what I found. There was a machine I'd never seen before, broken and flaming, while a small skeleton tried desperately to put the fire out with his coat. Another skeleton lay unconcious on the ground. Mettaton put the fire out with his fire extinguisher feature (I almost didn't put that feature in) and then immediately pulled a gun on the skeleton. He's always so overdramatic, but I guess I'm grateful I had some protection. A strange, magical eye started glowing from one of the skeleton's eyesockets, probably a defense mechanism, or perhaps a preparation for an attack. It looked artificial. I'll have to ask him about it later._

 _I asked the skeleton where he came from. He seemed confused, maybe even delerious. He didn't seem to know where he was at the present, much less where he came from. I decided I had to be tactful about this-violence wouldn't get me the answers I needed. I offered to treat his wounds, before realizing that his HP was maxed out at 1/1. Some fault in his design, he told me later, whatever that means. It's a miracle he doesn't fall apart where he stands. He should have been destroyed as soon as he was born. I'm interested to learn exactly how he's managed to survive this long._

 _I sent Mettaton away, hoping it would make him feel safer. He didn't seem any more eager to start a fight than I did._

 _The larger skeleton had much healthier stats, and was only barely injured. As I tended to him, the small skeleton told me his name was Sans. He said the other skeleton was his baby brother, Papyrus. "Fresh out of the oven," he said. He has a strange sense of humor. Papyrus was, as expected, LV 1, and had 0 EXP, but had decent stats for a newborn, if that's really what he was._

 _Before long Sans started babbling about multiple universes and fractured timelines, and about the man who was Royal Scientist before me. I asked him why I'd never heard of this guy before, but he just shrugged._

 _He was this man's lab assistant before his, how did he put it? "Untimely Demise?" I get the eerie impression that Sans had something to do with that. He offered to share his research with me and help me out with whatever I was doing, but he seemed a bit too eager. How do I know I wouldn't just end up like his old employer? Still, his information could be invaluable. I don't know what to do._

 _I don't like the way he's always smiling._

Sans stays near the door, just out of sight. He stays there until morning, and well into midday. The thought of a human so close keeps him uncomfortably awake. The moment he lets his guard down, he knows, is the moment that door will open.

But that's not what happens. He's as alert as he's been in a long time when the huge door swings open with the horrible sound of stone grinding against stone. The human child is covered in burns and scrapes, and holds a tiny flower close to their chest. He keeps still as the child blinks at the snow, taking in their surroundings.

"She only let you go because you look like her child," a scornful voice hisses. It takes him a second to realize it's the flower talking. "You just got lucky. You can't expect the same treatment from the other monsters. Seriously, how many times are you willing to-" it's interrupted by a soft sob. The flower reaches out with its leaf and wipes a tear off the kid's face. "H-hey, don't...It's okay. It worked out this time, that's all that matters. Let's keep going, okay?"

There's something familiar about that flower. Sans fixes the joy buzzer to his hand, then follows them at a distance, a grin plastered onto his face. At one point, he snaps a twig just to see them jump. They halt at the barbed wire fence Papyrus installed a month ago. "This is...new," the flower seethes. Sans chooses that moment to step out behind them. The little shit just freezes up as they hear him approach. He wonders if they might be stupid or something.

"Human," he says. They don't move.

" _Chara,"_ the flower hisses at them, fear gleaming in it's beady little eyes. The kid wont move. They're shaking.

 _This is too easy._ Sans pokes the kid hard in the shoulder. "Don't you know how to great a new pal?" he jeers, "Turn around and shake my hand."

To his surprise, the kid actually does it. There's a nervous smile on their face that stays plastered there even after they've seized up and fallen lifeless onto thde snow. The flower is yelling something. Sans can hardly believe how simple it was. He perches next to the body and reaches out to take their SOUL. It feels warm and soft as it brushes his fingertips. Then, it shatters.

He reels and loses his balance, falling into the snow. Now the flower is laughing. Anger surges inside him-he channels it into magic energy and slams the flower's face into the ground. "What the FUCK are you laughing at, weed?" he yells. He doesn't think he's ever been this angry. His whole body shakes worse than the kid's had a moment ago. He can't even think straight.

"Go ahead and kill me, trashbag," The flower growls as well as a flower can growl with its face buried in snow. "In about eleven seconds it won't matter anyway."

"WHAT?!"

The flower strains against the magic just enough to look up at him, an intense, singular hatred gleaming in those bey little eyes. "They might not be so good at this whole 'kill or be killed' thing, but Chara is still determined. They're gonna come back, and they're gonna keep trying, no matter how many times you kill them. And you wanna know the best part? You won't even remember."

"No...no way." He stares at the human in horror. _This_ is the anomaly that's been plaguing his life? That's been toying with the entire underground? "No." There's no time to prepare, no time to make sure he remembers, he's finally found it and there's nothing he can do. _"Fuck you._ "He stomps on the flower, grinding it into the ground hard with his boot, and the world stops.


	3. Boss

The kid won't shake his hand. He's not sure why he expected them to. They just stare at him silently, as though trying to read his intent. Tiny strands of hair float in the air, charged with static.

Interesting.

He returns his hand to his pocket. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. I'm supposed to be on the lookout for humans right now, but, uh, I don't really care about killing anybody." He grins at them. The flower wrapped around their arm rolls its eyes.

"My brother's the one you really need to look out for," sans continues. "He's obsessed with hunting humans. He usually patrols the area around this time, I'd be careful if I were you." 

The kid nods shakily.

"Heh. I know you didn't shake my hand or anything, and I don't blame you. But you and your, uh, friend there, are gonna need my help if you wanna survive down here." He steps forward and the kid dances away from him, holding their stick in front of them defensively. Sans grins. "Heh, that's the spirit." he chuckles as he unlocks the gate and holds it open for them. The kid stares at him, unsure. He nods towards the path ahead. "It's fine, just go right through. Don't worry, pal, I'll keep an eye-socket out for ya."

The kid and the flower exchange a look. He keeps smiling. They pass through the gate, and he trails close behind them.

He didn't want to get his brother involved, but he might not have much of a choice. If it came down to violence, Papyrus would be way better in a fight than he ever would. Even if it was only a child, Sans was way past underestimating humans. Still, it would be better if the kid didn't make it to the King.

He hears his brother call his name, and he can't stop the grin from spreading on his face. "Here he comes! Quick, kid, hide behind that pile of snow! This'll be hilarious." The kid dives behind the snow without a second of hesitation.

Adorable.

"Sans!" Papyrus strides into the clearing wearing one of those not-fucking-around expressions he often wears.. His armor is freshly polished. 

"Sup, boss." sans shoots a finger gun at him, "lookin' sharp."

"I know that, sans!" he stands uncomfortably close, forcing sans to crane his neck to look at him. "What exactly have you been doing all day? You haven't recalibrated your traps in eight days!"

"I've been lookin' at this pile of snow," he nods toward where the human is hiding. "It's pretty cool, wanna take a look?"

Papyrus rubs his temples painfully. "I'm not in the mood for your bizarre sense of humor, Sans. It's come to my attention that you've been spending long amounts of time away from your post."

"Taking breaks keeps me focused. Don't worry, boss, I got a ton of work done today-"

"So, the other day, I decided to have you followed."

Sans's words catch in his throat.

Papyrus crosses his arms and looms. He's always been great at looming. "Why exactly have you been wasting so much time having terrible conversations with strange women behind doors? What is it you hope to accomplish?"

"Uh-" 

"Did it not cross your mind that she could be a spy? Or worse?"

"What could be worse than-"

"Did you even bother to get her name, you lazy sack of garbage?" He pokes sans in the chest, hard. "Don't you know what sort of degenerates reside in the ruins?"

"Boss-"

"Haven't you heard of the Banished Queen?" Papyrus spits. "You musn't have, or you would be staying away from the ruins altogether! I must believe you are simply an idiot rather than a traitor!"

"...Banished Queen?" Sans had heard of her, of course. Everybody had. The too-gentle queen who went mad when her son had been murdered by humans. Who, in her madness, had continued to sympathize with the humans even after that tragedy had struck. Why hadn't he put it together before? The promise she asked him to make should have been a dead giveaway. He supposes he's just been too tired to care.

"I'm quite disappointed in you, Sans." Papyrus growls. "I won't report you to the King, but clearly I shall have to keep a better eye on you! I don't ever want to find out you've been anywhere near that door again! I've already started the paperwork to transfer you to a station in Waterfall."

Sans bites back the anger swelling inside him. He should never have let his baby brother join the royal guard. He never used to talk to him this way.. He takes a breath. It doesn't really matter, he thinks. Sooner or later he would forget all about it, one way or another. He forces a smile. "heh, you're the boss." 

It doesn't really matter.

 _Entry 02_

 _I decided to take his help. The grin that spread across his face almost made me change my mind immediately. They had taken up residence in a small apartment building at the edge of Hotland. He met me in the main lobby, sitting on the edge of the memorial fountain. A crowd had gathered around his brother-Papyrus, if I remember correctly-as he mercilessly beat another monster into dust. Sans seemed unimpressed._

 _When I told him I'd take him up on his offer, his face literally lit up (I really need to ask him about that eye), and he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his apartment. I think I was probably stuttering like an idiot at that point, but he just pulled some blueprints out of a locked drawer and showed them to me._

 _They were...phenomenal. His theories on soul power are revolutionary, to say the least, though I haven't really had a lot of experience working with human souls. Perhaps this isn't that impressive where he's from. In any case, it's the last missing piece I needed to begin my work._

 _He knows what he's talking about, that much is clear, but he makes a terrible assistant. He has no work ethic to speak of, and he falls asleep at the most inconvenient times. I have to yell at him to keep working constantly._

_I may be beginning to understand why. A few days in, his hands began shaking. It wasn't that noticeable at first, not until he started dropping things. He said he was just tired._

 _It's been two weeks. He gets worse every day. If he wasn't holding valuable information, I wouldn't bother dealing with him at all. It's not just the blueprints. He won't tell me anything about where he's from. Every time I ask him about it he says he doesn't remember. If his brother wasn't so scary I'd have the information beat out of him-I hate that he's keeping secrets from me._

 _His brother is...something else. If he's really brand new like Sans said, he's a prodigy. I've never seen someone that young with that high a Level of Violence. He's already a cadet in the Royal Guard. I admit, some structure in his life would do him some good, but it's only gonna cause me trouble. I'll need to keep an eye on that one._

When Papyrus has gone, the human steps out, carefully, from behind the pile of snow. "...you're friends with Ms. Toriel?"

Sans is startled by their voice. He forces a grin. "heh, so you can talk."

The kid blushes and looks at their feet. "I'm...sorry you won't be able to talk to her anymore. She was very nice to me."

"She tried to kill you," the flower interjects. 

"Not because she wanted to." They touch a burn on their face absently. "She really needs someone to talk to," they say, and it's unclear whether they're talking to the flower, or to Sans, or to themselves. "She's all alone in there."

"Whatever," Sans waves a hand dismissively. This kid is really starting to piss him off. "I'm gonna go take a nap, careful of the traps and stuff." He stalks into the forest.

He'd wanted to follow the kid as they made their way toward Snowdin, and hopefully be the first one to find them when they inevitably fell for one of his brother's traps, but now all he wants to do is sleep. It doesn't make much of a difference. He still should be able to get access to the SOUL before Papyrus delivers it to the king. It won't be too much of a problem this time. He'll only need it for a few minutes, and then he'll give it back.

He takes a shortcut back to his house, and collapses onto his mattress, and tries not to think about the woman behind the door.


	4. Captain

"Halt, Human, you shall go no further!" Papyrus strikes a menacing pose, imagining how intimidating he must look silhouetted in the mist. "You may as well surrender now, for you've found yourself up against Captain Papyrus the Great, of the Royal Guard! You have no chance of survival, so I shall give you a moment to consider the coward's option!"

The child shows no signs of surprise or intimidation. They just look tired. Their body is already covered in scars.

"No? Very well." He attacks with everything he's got, and they dodge with a gracefulness he's never seen before. He pauses to catch his breath and allow his magic time to replenish, purposefully leaving himself vulnerable to attack. He wants to see how hard they can hit. They won't be able to kill him, anyway. No matter how much stronger they say humans are than monsters, this one is still only a child. 

The flower yells suddenly, right in the human's ear. "Just do it, Chara! He's not gonna just let you pass!"

The human shakes their head fearfully, and holds out their empty, trembling hands in a sign of peace. 

...It's a trap. It has to be. They want him to wear himself out. He attacks again, more reserved, more controlled this time. Even with his blue magic increasing the gravity on their body, they manage to dodge every bone. Again they offer their hands in peace. 

"Enough! I'm not falling for your tricks, human!" Again he attacks, and again they dodge, and again they refuse to fight. "This is pitiful."

They continue this infuriating pattern for several more attacks, dodging and weaving and refusing to fight. Papyrus is getting impatient. Finally, he summons his blasters, and three at once fire searing beams of magic at the human, leaving them only a small window in which to dodge. The third hits them dead-on, and they let out a stifled screech as they fall to the ground. Papyrus grins. At last. 

The human pushes themselves up with a whimper, and stares up at Papyrus with eyes full of fear. He's seen that look before-the look of a cornered animal. They'll fight back, now, or flee and give him the kill. 

Again they open their hands in a wordless plea. 

"Stop it!" Papyrus snarls furiously, throwing another bone attack at them. This one hits again, knocking them once more to the ground, and the child erupts in a fit of sobs.

"Chara, _please,_ " the flower whispers. But the child won't attack. Another hit will kill them. Papyrus stalks over to them and looms.

"You will die here, human," he says coldly. "Your SOUL will be delivered to King Asgore, and monsterkind will be one step closer to freedom. Don't cry-not everyone gets to die for a cause," he sneers.

The child lifts their hand, carefully, watching him through tear-filled eyes, and touches his hand softly, their fingers curling around his in a gentle grasp.

"What are you doing?" 

The child swallows nervously. He can feel their tiny hand trembling. 

"What _are_ you doing?" the flower hisses. 

Papyrus expects some trick, some follow-up attack, but nothing comes. Their hand is warm, and for some reason it feels good just to let it rest inside his own. 

...It's _got_ to be some trick.

But the child just stands there, whimpering. They move closer to him, lifting their other hand. _Here it comes._ But he's frozen in place, and the human's other arm wraps around him. But there's no knife in their hand, or hidden up their sleeve. They stay still and bury their face in his chest.

The flower slides, panicked, down into the snow and disappears.

The world is very quiet, and mist surrounds them on all sides. 

Why can't he move? It isn't as though the child is holding him with any force.

After a long time, he speaks. "You really aren't dangerous at all, are you?" his voice is very dry. He places a hand on their shoulder and gently pushes them away.

The child looks up at him and smiles. 

Papyrus's other hand cracks across their skull and knocks them to the ground, unconscious.

The child lay motionless on the other side of the bars, their hands bound behind their back. Their sweater clings to them wetly, and they shiver with cold. Papyrus can tell they're only pretending to still be unconscious, but he stays uncharacteristically silent.

...Sentimentality. That's all it is. He'd been accused of it endlessly during his early years as a cadet. Since then he'd very carefully built up a reputation as not only one of the strongest, but also one of the cruelest monsters in the Underground. Still, he couldn't rid himself of the hated trait. That was why he'd taken the child alive. That was why he hadn't killed Sans many times over for his blatant insubordination. That was why he couldn't even bring himself to kill the former Captain of the Royal Guard, though if she ever showed her face near civilization he knew he'd have to finish the job. 

" _They'll take advantage of you, Papy."_ She'd always tell him. _"Humans have a way of finding out your every weakness and using them against you. And they're not the only ones."_

"Boss!" Sans laughs when Papyrus jumps in surprise. There are dark circles under his eye sockets, and his eye is glowing far too dull.

"Sans, you look like shit. And you let this human slip right past your sentry station! Lucky for you I was able to catch it before it reached Waterfall. What the hell have you been doing all this time?"

"...Skullking."

"If I find out you let this human past you on purpose-"

"Relax, boss. I ain't no traitor, I just like tellin' dumb jokes through doorways."

"Pathetic."

Sans steps closer to the bars and grins at the human. "So, uh, this is what a human looks like, huh? Great idea, taking it alive. I know Al's been looking for a live subject."

"...Yes. If we're going to war with them, we had better find out all we can." Papyrus admits, grateful Sans offered an excuse before he had to come up with one.

"Heh, exactly." Sans's shaky hand slides from his pocket and grasps a bar loosely, his magic eye fixed on the human. Papyrus doesn't like the way he's smiling at them. "Why don't I...stay here and watch 'em while you give the ol' girl a call?" 

"Absolutely not." 

Sans winces noticeably, "w-why not?" 

"There's no way I'm leaving you alone with a human now that I know what you've been doing while you're slacking off! You may call Dr. Alphys, if you wish."

Sans scowls, "but Boss, s-she hates me."

"Hah! Her and every other monster in the Underground!" Papyrus crosses his arms. "Go."

Sans shows no objection other than an insolent stare as he shuffles away.

After a moment, the child rolls over to face Papyrus. "I liked your spaghetti," they mumble.

He blinks a couple times, caught off guard. "The human bait? That was poison!"

"It still tasted good. And it was nice and fresh."

"You're a maniac!" 

The child giggles shyly, and Papyrus can't help but feel...

Something.

"Well, clearly I have to up the dosage. How much arsenic does it take to kill a human?"

"Um. I don't know. Um, Papyrus?" 

"It's 'sir' to you, human." 

"...Sir? Is there something weird about your brother?" The child looks away. "He seems...I don't know. Weird." 

"Hah! Everything about him is weird! Where do I start?" He knows he shouldn't be indulging the human's curiosities, but he's taken aback by the child's sincerity. No one brings up his brother to him unless they're trying to start a fight, but the child doesn't seem angry or mocking, just concerned. "He's completely useless! If it weren't for me he wouldn't do a damn thing all day except sit at home and collect socks! Fucking Socks! He's too weak to fight at all-which wouldn't be a problem if he would follow orders and take his job seriously!" And now on top of that he may be a human sympathizer. "I wouldn't hesitate to put him in his place, but-" he stops himself. The child stares up to him curiously. He always tries not to let his weakness for his brother show, lest it be used as leverage against him, but looking at this human-this human who would not fight him, who put their tiny arms around him as though there was nothing to fear-he can't help but trust them. "But he couldn't even handle stubbing his toe, he's so weak. One stray hit, even on accident, and he'd be dead where he stood."

The child's face goes pale, their eyes wide. 

"What's that look for? It was not my intention to frighten you-if it was, you would know." He gives them his most menacing grin, but the child's expression doesn't change. "Are you concerned for him?" The child nods. "Well, don't be. He knows how to avoid fights relatively well, and of course, he's got the Great Papyrus to keep him out of trouble." The child giggles and he snickers with them.

They fall into silence. 

"What will happen to me?" the child asks.

A cold tremor crawls down Papyrus's spine. "You will be taken to the laboratory in Hotland, where the Royal Scientist, Dr. Alphys, will conduct research and experiments on you in order to learn more about your race. What these experiments will entail I don't know, as it is none of my concern." He pauses. "It will not be pleasant."

They sniff and stare at his feet. 

He feels something like a pit in his stomach. None of the monsters who were taken away to Alphys's lab were ever heard from again. Strange sounds are often heard from within at night. It's well known that The Face of the Underground, the robot newscaster Mettaton, had been created by her, but it hadn't occurred to Papyrus until now how that'd happened, or whether he'd been someone before. 

Mental images eat at his mind, of the child trapped in a dark cell, in chains, drugged into submission, led out only to be prodded at and cut open, and forced to fight, and always, always terrified.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, he just can't do it anymore.


End file.
